Burned (15 page)

Anne nodded. The cold, deadly manner she’d shown downstairs had vanished, and in the faint lights of the city she looked normal again. I couldn’t help feeling relieved; Anne’s other side might be good in a fight, but seeing it makes me uneasy. I climbed up the ladder, crouched at the back of the roof and started searching through futures.

The first priority was target confirmation. I looked to see what would happen if I walked up to the front of the roof and stood there in plain view.
Ouch.
Okay, the people in that second-floor flat were definitely bad guys. As an aside, I noted that the fire on the ground floor was strong enough to light up the entire street. I had no idea of how to put it out … no, no time for that. Human threats first. I lifted the grenade and began tracing arcs.

Like I said, I’m very good with thrown weapons. Coordinating the divination results with your muscle movements takes practice, but any diviner can do it if they’re willing to put in the effort. It works with guns too, but back when I was learning the trick, thrown items were what I had, so thrown items were what I got good at. This was an unusually tricky shot: not only was I doing it at long range and in the dark, but there was a roof in the way. Almost impossible for a normal human. Ten seconds’ work for me.
Too high. Still too high. Too low. Frame hit. That’s the angle. How much delay? One second … no, a bit longer. Pulling the pin changes the trajectory. Recalculate … there.
I pulled the pin from the grenade, let the lever spring free, waited one and a half seconds, then threw it into the darkness. One heartbeat. Two heartbeats—

There was the distant sound of shattering glass as the grenade went through the window, followed half a second later by the explosion. The detonation was much quieter at this distance: less of a bang, more of a hollow
pboom
.
That’s for burning down my shop, you bastard.

‘Anne?’ I said.

‘He’s hurt,’ Anne said. Her eyes were distant as she looked down towards the other building. ‘Badly. He’s crawling away.’

‘What about the other one?’

‘He’s gone.’ Anne frowned. ‘I can’t see where he— wait.’ Anne turned, looking left over the rooftops. ‘He’s there! I think—’

‘Move!’ I grabbed Anne’s hand and ran away from the direction she’d been looking, pulling her stumbling behind me.

There was a flash from behind, and the chimneys and aerials around us were lit up in dull red light as fire magic bloomed with a
whoompf
. Hot air washed over our backs. I knew the light of the fireball had painted us as targets, and when the second one came I was ready. I jumped the small parapet linking one roof to another, then yanked Anne to the right. Something that looked like a glowing red spark shot past, hitting the ventilators of the apartment block ahead and exploding with another
whoompf
and a flash of flame.

Before the mage behind us could throw a third fireball, I’d put a chimney stack between us and him. I kept moving, using the ventilators and chimneys as cover, then circled around. The plaster of the roof was scorched and warm, but the ventilators were metal and the chimneys were brick and there was nothing to burn. I reached the chimneys at the back and peered around the edge.

Flames were licking up from the edges of my house. From the fact that I could see them, I knew that the fire had spread all the way up to my flat, and I knew that the building was gone. Even if the fire brigade arrived in the next minute – which they wouldn’t – there was no way to save it. No time to mourn. Right now I needed to survive.

‘Do we run?’ Anne whispered. She’d stayed with me as I’d moved.

‘I’d like to—’ I stopped abruptly as I felt gate magic behind us. I looked into the futures in which we fled back over the rooftops. ‘Shit.’

‘We could try the railway line…’

‘More gunmen behind us.’ I looked back towards my house. ‘And that guy in front. Great.’

A man had appeared on top of my roof, or what would have looked like a man if it hadn’t been wreathed in flame. The shape walked forward, ignoring the smoke and licking fire, and paused at the parapet, scanning the rooftops ahead. I saw futures in which we were spotted and pulled back, relying on my divination to track his movements.

‘He’s the one from before,’ Anne whispered.

‘I know,’ I said in a low voice. ‘Fire mage.’ Spells have a distinctive signature, and the fireballs and flame shield carried the same fingerprint as the spell that had created the blaze in my shop. ‘Any chance he’s hurt?’

‘No.’

‘Figures.’

‘How did he get across so fast?’ Anne whispered.

It was a good question. A gate spell would have done it, but gates are typically slower than that. I looked into the futures in which we moved.
Not good.
The men behind were positioned four rooftops down, behind cover, and they were waiting for us. If we went the other way, we’d be clearly visible to the fire mage’s heat vision. As long as we stayed in the cover of the chimneys, we could stay hidden, but as soon as we left …

‘They’re waiting for us,’ Anne said quietly.

‘I know.’ I thought quickly. The fire brigade had to have been called by now, and once they were here it might create enough confusion for us to slip away. What was worrying me was how these people were getting on to the roof so fast. I looked ahead, and— ‘Shit!’

Gate magic bloomed again, and a portal opened on the roof above my flat. More men came through, hurrying to get out of the smoke. From a glimpse into the futures they were carrying guns too.

‘More mages?’ Anne said in dismay.

‘No,’ I said, biting off my words. ‘Gunmen.’ I knew what was happening now. ‘They’ve got a gate specialist. She’s moving these guys in.’

‘She?’

‘Symmaris, unless I miss my guess.’
Damn it.
I knew who these men were working for now, but it wouldn’t do me any good. I should have paid more attention to Landis.

‘Alex,’ Anne whispered. ‘They’re coming closer.’

I checked the futures and confirmed it.
Shit, shit, shit.
Mage ahead, gunmen on both sides, and the building was on fire. If we made a break for it they’d just gate ahead of us. I looked into the futures in which I tried to snipe the men in front. No good – the fire mage would see us too easily. The ones behind? Not the left, we’d get spotted … right might work. ‘Stay down,’ I whispered. ‘I’m going to try and slow down the ones behind.’

‘All right.’

I moved back, being very careful to keep the ventilators between myself and the fire mage. Fire mages can see heat; if he got a clear line of sight, I’d stand out in the darkness like a torch. Once I reached the furthest chimney, I crouched and checked the gun I’d taken from the assassins. One bullet in the chamber, two more in the clip, and I had a full clip spare. The suppressor wouldn’t do much to muffle the gunshot, but it would hide the flash in the darkness. That would be useful. I held still and waited.

Ten seconds, twenty. Futures flickered: if I moved forward I’d run the risk of getting shot.
Lean right? Other way.
I rose slightly, braced my elbow against the chimney, then leaned carefully up and left, sighting the long barrel towards the chimney stack twenty feet away. The streetlights all around us cast a fuzzy neon glow, reflecting off the low clouds above to create a faint ambient radiance, just enough to pick out the outline of the chimneys and parapet. I felt the futures shift; there was a man behind those chimneys, waiting for me to make a move. If I showed, he’d fire. I held perfectly still.

A dark shape moved from behind the chimney stack. I waited exactly long enough to get a clear shot, then fired twice.

The pistol jerked in my hands with its double
bang
, and the figure ahead staggered and dropped. I ducked back as a gun opened up with a
rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat
. Bullets chewed into brickwork and went whizzing overhead. I scrambled away, then went running back, keeping my head down.

Anne was still where I’d left her. ‘Got one,’ I whispered, crouching next to her.

‘He’s dying,’ Anne said. There was a faraway look in her eyes as she looked back towards where I’d shot the man, then she took a deep breath and shook her head. ‘The three at the front are moving up.’

I ejected the empty clip and loaded the spare. It was the last: ten rounds, plus one in the chamber. I wished I’d had time to grab more weapons.
Time to improvise.
‘Can you—? Shit. Back!’

Anne moved without my having to grab her this time. We just made it to the ventilators before the chimney we’d been hiding behind exploded in flame. It wasn’t a fireball: the flame kept burning and spreading, even though there was no fuel.

There was the stuttering of gunfire, and bullets whined overhead. Anne ducked down, and I swore silently.
Bastard’s trying to burn us out.
Well, why not? It had worked for him before. One gunman ahead, two more and the fire mage behind. But if we could break past the single man, we might be able to make it to the railway …

Only chance we’ve got.
I dug out a pair of gold discs from my pocket. ‘Anne,’ I said quietly. The flames were still spreading towards us; we had maybe twenty seconds. ‘When I say go, run forward and right. Draw the fire of the guy ahead. I’ll put up a forcewall.’

Anne looked up at me for a second, then nodded. I tossed the discs ahead and to the right, lobbing them over the chimney. The sound of them landing on the roof was muffled by the roar of the flames. I took a glance back; the fire was less than twenty feet away and the heat was scorching my skin. ‘Go!’

Anne darted up and forward, leaving herself clearly exposed to the man ahead. I called out the command word just as I saw the muzzle flash in the darkness. The wall sprang up, invisible and impenetrable, angled to block the man’s line of fire. Anne was a slim shadow in the darkness, running out of cover towards the back of the roof, then coming to a skidding halt at the edge.

I was already moving, going left, sprinting the twenty feet to the next stack of chimneys. I rounded the edge to see the man who’d been shooting at Anne, a black-clad shape lit by the glow of the flames. I was standing almost within arm’s reach, and yet he was too fixed on his target to notice. His rifle clicked dry and he crouched down, fumbling for a new magazine.

I aimed my pistol at the side of the man’s head and fired. He dropped without a sound. ‘Anne!’ I shouted.

Anne reversed course, running back around the forcewall, silhouetted against the blazing fire behind. I could still hear gunfire over the roar of the flames, and as she cleared the edge she stumbled. ‘Anne!’ I shouted again.

Anne caught herself and kept running, making it to my chimney. ‘Are you—?’ I started to say.

‘I’m fine.’ Anne’s voice was harsh. ‘Come on.’

I didn’t argue. We ran down the rooftops. I could hear sirens in the distance. A little further and we’d be—

Fire, pain, death
. I grabbed Anne’s arm, jerking her back and making her gasp. A red spark shot down from above, landing ahead of us and erupting in a blast of flame.

I spun around to see what looked like a fiery angel soaring behind us in the night sky. The fire mage was gliding on wings of orange flame, hanging over the blaze on the apartment roof behind us; he was just at the top of his arc and starting to descend. I lifted my gun and fired, but I didn’t have time to aim and the mage sent another fireball arrowing down. I dived, but it’s hard to dodge area spells and this time I didn’t quite make it. Searing pain flashed in my leg and arm and I went tumbling to land behind another parapet wall.

From the other side of the wall I heard the
thud
as the fire mage landed on the roof. He was maybe thirty feet away. My arm and leg were screaming at me, but it was my left side that had taken the burn and I’d kept hold of the gun. The wall was a couple of feet high and blocked my line of sight, but I could get a fix on him with my divination. Fire shields are great for mêlées, but they don’t stop bullets. All I needed to do was get off a shot—

Burning death jumped out at me. In every future in which I rose to shoot, I died, the flesh searing off my bones. The fire mage was waiting and the instant I came into view he’d see my body heat and incinerate me. I searched for an angle I could rise from. Couldn’t throw—
Shit!
I needed a distraction—

There was a low hiss to my right.

I looked. Anne was lying flat behind the same wall, maybe ten feet to my side. She was looking straight at me, and her eyes were steady. She pointed at herself, then up and over the wall.

I stared at her for a second, then my eyes went wide.
No!
I shook my head, suddenly panicked, wanting to talk but afraid of being heard.
Don’t—

Anne took a deep breath, then bounded to her feet and jumped over the wall.

I felt the stutter of a spell as the futures flickered. The fire mage had been focused on me; he hadn’t been prepared for Anne to charge. The futures in which I’d be incinerated vanished and I came up to one knee, levelling my gun.

Anne was running straight towards the fire mage, still wreathed in his flame shield. She was moving fast. The distance from the parapet wall to the fire mage was thirty feet, and Anne was already less than a second away from reaching him.

She wasn’t fast enough.

A red spark flashed out and Anne disappeared in a bloom of flame, just as my gun sighted on the mage. I aimed for the centre of the fiery shape and opened fire, shooting as fast as I could,
bang bang bang
. I saw the figure stagger, then death flashed in my futures. Another fireball, and I couldn’t move fast enough to dodge it. I dropped flat and curled into a ball, trying to take the blast on my back armour.

Fire magic surged. I heard a
whoompf
, horribly loud and far too close. Searing heat washed over me …

… and nothing.

I held quite still. I didn’t dare move; I was afraid to find out how badly I’d been burned. All of a sudden, the rooftop was quiet.